This invention relates to a novel burning rate accelerator for use in conventional composite solid propellant compositions.
Conventional composite solid propellant compositions are composed essentially of three main components; namely, a combustible organic resin as binder, fuel, and an oxidizing agent. In use, such propellant compositions are enclosed within a chamber and ignited whereby large quantities of gases are formed. These gases are exhausted through an orifice thereby giving propulsive force to the vehicle in the opposite direction.
The binder component of the propellant composition is typically one of a wide variety of resins, such as polyalcohols, carboxylated polybutadiene, hydroxylated polybutadiene, and polybutadiene acrylic acid cross-linked with an appropriate cross linking agent.
The oxidizing agent is usually an inorganic oxidizing salt, such as ammonium perchlorate. The acidic radical of the inorganic oxidizing salt can also be chlorate, nitrate or the equivalent.
The desirability of rapid burning propellant compositions for rocket and ordnance projections as well established.
Burning rate catalysts have long been used to achieve rapid burning propellant compositions. Examples of prior art burning rate catalysts are ferric oxide, copper chromite, ferrocene, normal-butylferrocene and a wide variety of other ferrocene compounds. However, by substituting one of these prior art burning rate catalysts for the conventional oxidizing material, oxidizer content of the propellant composition is sacrificed. Accordingly, a combination burning rate catalyst and oxidizing agent has long been sought after.
An object of this invention is to provide an improved solid propellant composition.
Another object of this invention is to provide a solid propellant composition with an increased burning rate.
A particular object of this invention is to provide a propellant composition having an increased burning rate by means of a combination burning rate catalyst and oxidizing agent.